I am a senior in HS, Bay area resident who got into all the UC’s for my preferred major. I also received a almost full-tuition scholarship for Pepperdine university ($58,700, Pepperdine tuition is 63K) meaning I’ll pay 34K. UCLA cost is 40K for me. I’ve narrowed it down to UCLA (MCDB major) and Pepperdine (Biology), but I’m not sure what to choose now. My ultimate desire is to go to med school. I know that UCLA has better research, but it also grades super strictly and on a curve. Pepperdine, on the other hand, gave me a scholarship and it’s easier to maintain my GPA there. Could you give me some suggestions as to what I can choose? Thanks!
@med_lover I’m linking this thread.…because a lot of good information is contained in it that might be helpful to you.
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One is a smaller Christian LAC. One is a big liberal public school. Both will open many doors and provide you with a wonderful education. I would go to whichever university you felt more at home at. I personally would choose Pepperdine for its smaller classes and more hands-on learning.
But they also do not have all the students and professors UCLA has. There are pros and cons to both decisions.
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As a UCLA student, I am here to dispel the “harsh grading” myth. UCLA does not grade on a curve for life science classes. You get the grade you earn, and if the whole class does poorly, all students are bumped up. Exams for freshman year life science courses are taken as a “team”.
Additionally, you can look at past grade distributions on this website for courses in your degree. Looking at the first few intro life science classes (LS 7A/B/C), it seems that 35% of the class gets either an A or an A+, and more than half the class gets some sort of A (A+/A/A-). Grades below B collectively sum to about 15% of the class per quarter. Upper division courses are usually much more generous with grades, so even less of a worry for your junior and senior years.
If these grade distributions still concern you, I don’t know what to tell you. If you were smart enough to get in to not only UCLA but all of the UCs, I don’t think passing general bio will be your greatest challenge. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but you should judge the two schools on other factors (cost, campus life, research and shadowing opportunities, etc.) separate from grading schemes on syllabi.
Thank you! That actually eases some of my worries for UCLA
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Thank you for linking the thread! I definitely found some good information there, but I noticed a difference in that I only have full tuition at Pepperdine but the OP in that thread has a full ride. Does that make any difference when choosing?
Can you afford Pepperdine? That’s what matters.
In your first post, you indicated that Pepperdine was actually less costly than UCLA.
Thank you for this great information. Also, how easy it is to find research and shadowing opportunities in UCLA, since there are lot of grad and doctoral students compete for these positions?
I and my daughter for sure (who is at Rhodes as premed) would pick Pepperdine. You can be premed at any school but personal attention and smaller classes make huge difference, especially in Org Chem. DD gets up to attend 8 am class (same proff teaches 8am and 9am and students can attend either), so there would be only 15 students in class so she can ask as many questions as she wishes. At 9 am there are 30 students, and you feel that you do not want to derail it with too many questions. You are not going to have 15 or 30 students in Org Chem at UCLA. Probably 100+…
BTW general biology is not premed dreams killer… Org Chem 1 and 2 are… Look at grades distribution at both schools if you can find that info.
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Ochem 1 and 2 (Called Chem 14C and 14D at UCLA) seem to have 50% A+/As, with a range of 30-55% depending on professor and quarter.
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Can you see how many students dropped/withdraw from initial enrollment. 50% A or A+ in Org Chem are not realistic numbers. Most students are happy to get B.
Is it possible to see how many students get to medical schools out of UCLA? If all would have A and A+ it would be 100% acceptance…
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The first grade distribution for Chem 14C (Ochem 1) I found: CHEM 14C | UCLA Grade Distributions 2021-23
UCLA med school acceptance rates: UCLA Applicants Medical School Admission Data | UCLA Student Affairs Information & Research Office
UCLA students tend to do better than the national average at medical school acceptance, but still not great. Just under half of premed applicants from UCLA aren’t accepted anywhere…
Interesting…
I can afford both. Does that mean Pepperdine might be the better choice here?
I also have visited both campuses, and personally, I feel like UCLA’s campus was a little more friendly. I did like Pepperdine’s as well, but I lean toward UCLA in terms of the environment.
If I take the campus, food, housing, and transportation out of the equation and simply look at research, internship, shadowing, and volunteering/clinical opportunities, which school would be better? I know that Pepperdine has less grad and doctorate students vying for opportunities but the amount of opportunities there might also be limited. On the other hand, UCLA probably has many research opportunities, given the wealth of faculty there and the labs, but many students will be vying for those opportunities. Outside of campus, are there many opportunities available at either of the schools?
You need to go with your gut feeling.
For DD the most important were small classes, highest GPA, and minimum cost for BS. If your preferences the same then Pepperdine is the winner.
You can use those differences towards medical school.
If you want a lot of students, big classes and competive environment then UCLA is better.
Medical schools do not care where you will come from. They care only about your GPA, MCAT and what you did (volunteering, shadowing etc.)
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For this student Pepperdine is $34,000 and UCLA is $40,000 so the difference over the four years is $24,000, not $160,000, unless I read this OP incorrectly. @med_lover can clarify.
@med_lover you need to make this choice. I would take the suggestion on the other thread in terms of reaching out to Pepperdine to see what sorts of volunteering/clinical work/shadowing they can help students access. As noted on that thread I linked.
I agree…go with the one you just like the best. If it’s a toss up…flip a coin.
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Is room and board truly 34k? Sounds a bit too much to me even in CA…
I checked Pepperdine site. Room and Board plus all fees and books are around $25. Something is not adding up.